dragonagefandomcom-20200223-history
Dwarf
The dwarves, or dwarva, as the dwarves refer to themselvesThe History of the Dwarves. BioWare wiki. are one of the major humanoid races of the Dragon Age setting. Strong, stocky, and shorter than any other humanoid race, the dwarves are skilled builders and boast a long tradition of courage and martial skill that has served them well in their millennia-long battle against the darkspawn. They are a race in decline, once developed a huge, great empire which spread across vast underground networks of twelvePer a loading screen in Dragon Age: Origins. great thaigs that spanned the breadth of Thedas. However their world was all but destroyed during the First Blight. In addition to the loss of nearly all thaigs and the majority of the Deep Roads to darkspawn, dwarves are known to be increasingly infertile due to their proximity to the darkspawn taint, a situation which has given rise to anxiety for the future of the race, as well as the invention of noble hunters to bolster the children born to noble houses. Unlike elves and humans, dwarves do not naturally enter the Fade, as they do not dream and lack magical ability. However, they are not completely barred and may enter it in exceptional circumstances. This is reflected in their resistance to magic, and accounts for their high tolerance to lyrium exposure. Dwarves who live on the surface for a long time (or who were born there) appear to gradually lose this resistance - however, there is still no recorded exception to their inability to learn spellcasting.Dragon Age: Origins: Prima Official Game Guide A unique dwarven ability is "Stone sense",In order to navigate through the Deep Roads, Utha knelt and put her hand to the ground as mentioned in Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne, p. 231. a talent for subterranean navigation derived from the race's progenitor, the Stone. However in the games, this talent is not implemented neither as a game mechanic nor as a plot device. The stone sense of dwarves as well as their magic resistance is slowly lost the longer they are on the surface. In Dragon Age: Origins, dwarves are able to play two classes, warrior and rogue; a dwarven Warden can choose the Dwarf Noble or Dwarf Commoner Origins. Racial benefits: +1 strength, +1 dexterity, +2 constitution, 10% chance to resist hostile magic History Early years The first dwarven kingdom was founded in a time beyond even the history kept by the Shaperate.Dragon Age (tabletop RPG), Player's Guide, set 2, p. 9 Beneath the Free Marches there are also ancient dwarven ruins which displayed cultural practices that are completely foreign to the dwarves, such as the construction of temples and the veneration of a pantheon of deities. Furthermore, within these ruins there are items which could only have been created by magic, yet there are no records of any dwarf being able to cast spells.Codex entry: The Primeval Thaig At -4600 Ancient (-3405 TE) the elves of the great elven kingdom of Elvhenan are believed to first make contact with the dwarves, 1,500 years before the arrival of humans in Thedas. Golden Age Before the first Blight, the dwarven empire expanded as much underground as the Tevinter Imperium did above. Dwarves in this time interacted freely with both the Tevinter Imperium and the elves. The dwarven rulers Endrin Stonehammer and Orseck Garal created the foundations of the dwarven empire, working in conjunction with the first Tevinter Archon, Darinius. At -1200 Ancient (-5 TE) an alliance is forged between the dwarves and Tevinter Imperium which still lasts up to the present day. Eventually at -1170 Ancient (25 TE) Garal moved his kingdom to Orzammar to preside more directly over the commercial aspects of dwarven life, mining and crafting, as Orzammar was the ancestral seat of the Miner and Smith castes.Codex entry: Orzammar History: Chapter One and because of the turmoil in the Imperium following the death of the Archon Darinius. Stonehammer took up leadership of Orzammar after Garal's passing, expanding and improving the city, and creating the Hall of Heroes and altering the Provings to allow for massive tournaments. In this period of great flourishing and wealth, thaigs were built under every human kingdom, and the Deep Roads experienced great development as the dwarves' chief method of travel between their cities. Dwarven artisans and engineers pioneered new crafting methods and built many cherished monuments to dwarven history, such as Gundaar's House of Crystalline Waters,Dragon Age (tabletop RPG), Player's Guide, set 2, p. 10 a massive underground lake decorated with shining quartz stalactites reflecting colors no dwarf had ever seen. The empire was encompassed by several kingdoms, the major of them being Kal-Sharok, Orzammar, Gundaar and Hormak. At least since the times of the First Blight, each kingdom had its own Assembly, which however maintained allegiance to the capital of the empire. First Blight and post years The First Blight is arguably the single most devastating event in the history of the race. The empire came to its knees as darkspawn flooded the Deep Roads that connected the countless thaigs and cities. Political disunity amongst the warrior and noble castes and the inability to focus on effectively stopping the darkspawn, resulted in the loss of countless thaigs over the next couple of centuries, and pushed them to the brink of extinction. Paragon Aeducan's resourcefulness played a major roleCodex entry: House Aeducan, Shield of Orzammar as well as the cooperation of the four major kingdoms which allowed them to survive. However, as most of the Deep Roads are sealed, communication lines faltered between the surviving kingdoms. Because of that, at -195 Ancient (1000 TE), each kingdom elected its own king while maintaining allegiance to the High King of Orzammar. At this time one of the dwarves' greatest engineering feats was developed; the creation of giant golems. These creatures - bipedal warriors of stone or metal were the product of the Paragon Caridin. Caridin was already renowned as the architect of Bownammar in the Deep Roads, but the advent of golems superseded that. The constructs allowed the dwarves to push the darkspawn back and reclaim some of their lost territory. However, this progress ceased all too soon as Caridin disappeared, taking the secret of making golems with him. He is presumed dead and noone has been able to replicate his breakthrough; the use of golems on a military scale has become but a memory. Sealing the Deep Roads However the darkspawn continued pushing, and in an effort to save the race from complete annihilation, High King Threestone ordered the sealing of the Deep Roads leading to the remaining three kingdoms in -45 Ancient (1155 TE).Codex entry: Cut to Kal Sharok Within a decade the kingdoms of Gundaar and Hormak had fallen. The last of the Roads are sealed in -15 Ancient (1180 TE) cutting off Kal-Sharok which is believed lost. The kingdom of Orzammar had become the only bastion of dwarven culture in Thedas, the last outpost of the race. The last millenium Even though the sealing of the Deep Roads significantly decreased the pressure on Orzammar, the darkspawn were able to find ways to breach them. For the next centuries, the kingdom was in a steady decline by losing most of its outlying thaigs. Despite that, the strict traditions of Orzammar's culture as well as its alliance with Tevinter Imperium persisted. In the Towers Age the Chasind Wilders along with other "terrible things" were led by Flemeth's daughters, the Witches of the Wild. This force invaded the region of what would be Ferelden and were all but unopposed until the hero Cormac led an army of Alamarri fighters and Orzammar dwarves. After a long series of dreadful battles, the Chasind were all but destroyed, and the witches burned. To this day the Fereldans eye the Korcari Wilds warily.Dragon Age (tabletop RPG), Player's Guide, set 1, p. 9 During the Fourth Blight the dwarves of Orzammar assisted the Imperium in lifting the siege of Marnas PellDragon Age: The Stolen Throne, p. 363 however the Ortan Thaig was lost.Mentioned by Orta. Dragon Age In 9:12 Dragon it is discovered that the kingdom of Kal-Sharok had in fact survived. However the relations between the two kingdoms are strained because Orzammar demands Kal-Sharok's allegiance and because it was abandoned by Orzammar a millennium ago. One year later, Bownammar is lost to the darkspawn. In 9:30 Dragon, the dwarves of Orzammar assist Ferelden in defeating the Fifth Blight and one year later the Primeval Thaig was rediscovered beneath the Free Marches. Furthermore, the dwarven army led by House Helmi cleared the great thaig of Kal'Hirol and the Deep Roads connecting it to Orzammar from darkspawn, reclaiming it once again. Culture The dwarven social hierarchy is ruled by complex, interrelated, and rigid castes. The casteless, commonly known as "dusters" after their ghetto of Dust Town, are the lowest rung of dwarven society: outcasts in their own city, unable to take up work among the higher castes, nor to defend their honor in the Provings or fight the darkspawn to protect the city, dwarves rejected by the Stone itself. Dwarves who are exiled or born on the surface are also officially casteless - but with an increase in the number of higher-caste dwarves choosing to live on the surface, it is becoming difficult for some surface dwarves to be considered permanent exiles. The average dwarf will never see the surface, and often will have superstitious beliefs concerning surface-life (such as falling into the sky, or the sun falling to the ground).Dwarves in Dust Town in particular harbor these superstitions, as seen in Dragon Age: Origins. Those dwarves who are most commonly seen on the surface tend to be merchants and traders, or on occasion smiths, but amongst the dwarves they might have been thieves, murderers or worse. Above the casteless (in no particular order) are merchants, miners, smiths, warriors, servants (only one step above casteless),In the Dwarf Commoner Origin, it is witnessed that even the servant caste dwarves look down upon dusters, as even menial labor is beyond their reach. nobles, and deshyrs. Nobles are the nobility of dwarven society, while the deshyrs are a group of dwarves who participate in the Assembly on behalf of their noble houses. While it is possible for some dwarves to better their family's station by performing great deeds and/or siring children with higher-caste dwarves, these remain rare and difficult circumstances. Lower-caste dwarves who rise in caste are generally considered "upjumped" by the highest castes. In dwarven society, children inherit the cast of their same-sex parent; should a son be born, he would inherit his father's caste, or castelessnes, should that be the case. It should be mentioned that slavery existed in the times of the ancient dwarven empire.Mentioned by Corypheus in Legacy DLC. Monarchy is the dwarven standard of government, but heredity tends to be a weak factor in determining who sits on the throne when the time comes for a new ruler. While a king may propose his heir to the throne, the next ruler is ultimately determined in the Assembly by a vote of the deshyrs. It has been mentioned that most of the wealth of the dwarves comes from selling processed lyrium to the mages of Thedas. The Chantry holds a monopoly on lyrium trade with the dwarves (in order to maintain control over templars and mages), but there remains a flourishing black market of the substance, dominated on the dwarven end by the carta in Dust Town. Education Education in Orzammar appears to be given to those with caste and may in part be administered by members of the Shaperate.As implied by dialogue between a Dwarf Noble and Shaper Czibor in Dragon Age: Origins. Among the casteless there is no formal education and most are functionally illiterate.Based on Sigrun's illiteracy prior to joining The Legion of the Dead. Diet The diet of the dwarven race is unique to all other races in Thedas, owing to the majority of dwarves living their entire lives underground. The diet of those living in the thaig of Orzammar are the most documented, as opposed to the unknown diet of the more secretive dwarves of Kal-Sharok. As a result of living underground, a dwarf's diet relies heavily upon foodstuffs harvested, and animals found, in the Deep Roads. Religion Unlike many other cultures in Thedas, dwarves do not worship anthropomorphic gods. Instead, their philosophy promotes personal excellence and an almost intimate tie to the Stone that houses them. Referring reverentially to the Stone, the dwarves speak of it as being alive. They are the Stone's children: they respect her, they fear her, they cherish her, and they give thanks to her for protecting them and providing them with her bounty. According to Shaper Czibor, this religion has been practiced for two thousand years by the dwarves.Mentioned during the The Chant in the Deep quest. Their other cultural beliefs are more akin to ancestor worship. Dwarves who lead a strong and noble life are said to strengthen the Stone when they die, becoming one of the Ancestors. Those who are ignoble or disgraced would weaken the Stone and are therefore rejected by it for all eternity. Every once in a while, a dwarf is declared by the Assembly to be particularly noble. If the required motion is passed in the Assembly, these dwarves become Paragons and are revered during their lives as living Ancestors. When a non-Noble dwarf achieves Paragon status, a noble house bearing their name is established. The deeds of a Paragon are carefully recorded in the Memories, records of lineage and deeds that help determine what caste a dwarf is born into. The word of a Paragon is held in such esteem that you can surpass even the king's word. Furthermore, a dwarf can be declared as a Paragon even posthumously.Codex entry: Life in Orzammar Surface dwarves still preserve their beliefs in the Stone, while some do not follow or care for any religion. Only a small minority of them is part of the Chantry. Gender and sexuality In spite of the fundamental conservativeness of the dwarven culture, sexuality plays an important role, largely due to the low racial birth rate. It has been suggested that the root cause of the low birth rate may be "corruption-caused infertility" contracted from exposure to the Deep Roads. As is common in surfacer society, nobles and other high-caste dwarves are expected to marry only within their caste.This is stated explicitly by Gorim Saelac to a Dwarf Noble female who engages in flirtation with him, that they can never marry due to his lower caste. Dwarves do not often mate with other races as such contact is limited in the isolated Orzammar. And as they naturally consider themselves superior to other races, and such mingling is looked down upon in any case.There is a brief mention in Dragon Age: Origins that a dwarven noblewoman, possibly a Dace, may have run off with an elven man, but it is unsubstantiated. In addition, in Dragon Age II, some dialogue between Carta members in the Legacy DLC implies that the dwarf Sandal is the bastard son of an Aeducan noble, whose mother was either an elf or a human. Female dwarves appear to have little control over their sexuality,As seen in the Dwarf Noble and Dwarf Commoner Origins. as their chiefest asset, regardless of caste, is their ability to bear children. Noble females are especially pressured to marry and bear children.A Dwarf Noble female is told by Trian Aeducan that she is "breeding flesh". Male nobles are expected—even encouraged—to be promiscuous, in order to sire as many children as possible, often with noble hunters. Noble females must guard their virtue (or have it guarded by male relatives, as in the Dwarf Noble origin).Gorim Saelac states to a female Noble who flirts with him that Bhelen and Trian will beat him if they catch him with her. Casteless females understand their value in Orzammar is solely in breeding among the castes, which gives them agency, in a fashion, as noble hunters, who seek the sexual attentions of noble males in order to advance themselves (and/or their families or 'sponsors'). Casteless males have a more difficult situation, as they can only hope to sire children with higher-caste women - most of whom are not in a position to pursue affairs with them, or who are not interested in doing so.Kalah Brosca will tell a male Dwarf Commoner that no woman will want him, for he can only sire casteless children; she will declare that a female Brosca's only value is "between her legs", and that she would prostitute both Rica and her sister if it were up to her. Additionally, in terms of courtship, it is noted that for a dwarven male to wear both vambraces indicates he is unmarried and eligible.As mentioned by Teli in the Dwarf Noble Origin. Shaperate The judicial functions of government are split between the king and the Shaperate. The king and his warriors deal with crime and maintain order, while the Shaperate deals with civil disputes. The Shaperate is also ultimately responsible for the preservation of all records current and historical. As a result, it is the supreme authority over the authenticity and binding nature of contracts, as well as legal precedent. The Shaper of Memories is considered a role of absolute impartiality in dwarven society, and commands enormous respect as a disinterested third-party in legal matters. In dwarven society the role of the Shaper is one of great honor, privilege, and also hardship.Codex entry: The Shaper's Life A Shaper must honor the Stone, protect it, and present a new history to the Memories. However, this means that a Shaper must seek out knowledge and history beyond the city and its inhabitants, venturing into the Deep Roads to record the history of lost thaigs and ruins and dwarves whom the Memories might otherwise forget. A Shaper must be prepared to risk all—perhaps even their own life—so that the dwarven race might reclaim its lost knowledge and learn from it. Legion of the Dead The Legion of the Dead is an independent branch of the dwarven army which answers directly to the Kings and Queens of Orzammar. It is considered to be the most intimidating and devastating dwarven military force and most attribute this to the fact that the Legionnaires consider themselves already dead. Provings The Provings are public arena battles fought for the sake of honor and glory and to entertain the masses. They take place in the Orzammar Proving arena. Dwarves believe that a fighter who wins a Proving has the approval of the Paragons and so they use Provings to settle debates and honor challenges that could not be settled otherwise. This usually falls to warrior caste champions. Some Proving matches are fought to the death, but even in a dwindling society such as Orzammar, that one death is thought preferable to the widespread bloodshed of a conflict between noble houses. In recent years, the Provings have also been used for entertainment and events to honor special guests, and each year the best fighters in Orzammar meet for the "Trials of Blood," a great tournament that crowns the kingdom's best and most popular fighter. The great gladiatorial battles of the ancient Tevinter Imperium are based on this dwarven tradition. The Warden has at least one opportunity to take part in a Proving - through either dwarven origin story and/or in the process of soliciting Orzammar's aid against the Blight. Golems In ages past, the Paragon Caridin magically crafted huge stone and metal golems to act as war machines for the dwarven armies. The craft of making new golems was lost with Caridin himself, and the main body of war golems, known as the Legion of Steel, was lost in a futile search for him. Settlements }} There are currently three remaining dwarven cities where once there were twelve great kingdoms adjoining the dwarven empire, in addition to few other smaller thaigs. Orzammar is the largest, greatest and proudest of the three. The other dwarven cities are Kal-Sharok and Kal'Hirol. Kal-Sharok was thought to be lost to the darkspawn incursion after the First Blight, but in 9:12 of the Dragon Age the king of Orzammar learned of Kal-Sharok's survival, although it had done so only at great cost, and with a great deal of resentment against the dwarves of Orzammar who had sealed off the Deep Roads and given up Kal-Sharok for dead. Far from a joyous reunion, communication between the kingdoms has so far consisted of Orzammar's insistence that Kal Sharok pay homage to its king and Kal Sharok's response that they consider the denizens of Orzammar who gave them up for dead to be wraith-blooded traitors to the Stone. It is unknown what the future relationship of the two cities will be, if anything.Dragon Age (tabletop RPG), Player's Guide, set 2, p. 12 The last is Kal'Hirol which was lost to the darkspawn and recently reclaimed by the dwarves of Orzammar. Politics Orzammar—as the ancient empire likely was before the division into city-states—is a constitutional monarchy, consisting of a king and one legislative house entirely of nobles (approximately eighty of them at the time of Dragon Age: Origins). Other castes are not represented in any fashion in the Assembly.As noted by Lord Denek Helmi. The noble houses which are allowed to have a deshyr and represented in the Assembly are those which can trace a general, deshyr or a Paragon among their ancestors.Mentioned by Assembly Steward Bandelor. Subsequently, lesser noble houses may not have a vote in the Assembly as well as the number of deshyrs in the Assembly can easily vary. The Assembly holds the power to advise the king, approve or veto acts of the king, propose policy, declare Paragons, and elect new kings. Furthermore, the Steward of the Assembly is a non-voting member. When the king or queen die, the Assembly goes into deliberation until they choose the next monarch, by majority vote. It is traditional for the king or queen to nominate their successor, usually their eldest child, or less often, a younger child or even someone from another House. This decision carries a significant political weight during the election, however it is not enough to determine the new ruler. Fighting, blackmail, and assassination can be intense as contenders for the throne vie for power, and can last for a very long time before the succession is resolved. Dwarves, as they themselves note, are hardheaded and stubborn in their decision-making. Typically a male is chosen as king, but on rare occasions a female is chosen as queen.Prince Bhelen Aeducan mentions this explicitly in the Dwarf Noble Origin. The other crucial authority of the Assembly is to declare Paragons. Declaring a dwarf a Paragon is essentially declaring a new noble house, since that Paragon and their family will be elevated to noble status. From then on, they will have the right to their own deshyr in the Assembly. All other growth of the Noble caste depends solely on the fertility of its females. Because dwarven society (in particular the nobility) is essentially conservative, nominations for Paragon are extremely rare. While the king may propose legislation, the Assembly has the authority to block the king's actions through dissent and deadlock, limiting the king's ability to affect domestic law or international relations. The king's primary functions are as an important figure in ceremony, and as the Commander-in-Chief. The king's greatest autonomy is in the deployment of troops in the Deep Roads and the training of warriors. It is unclear whether the king is also the de facto general of the dwarven army, though it is implied that each is a separately-held office and his role as Commander-in-Chief is mainly as a figurehead.In the Dwarf Noble Origin, Trian is both a war leader and the heir to the throne, appearing to command troops in his father's name. The Dwarf Noble will become the newest commander of the dwarven army, ostensibly leading to their becoming the general, either immediately or upon Trian's coronation, as he will assume other duties then. Foreign relations One would be hard pressed to find a people prouder of their history and accomplishments than the dwarves of Orzammar. They have done much of great worth. Their architectural feats alone are staggering. But their greatest triumphs are also all long past, and their pride eclipses them. In fact, the dwarves' pride has contributed substantially, if not definitively, to Orzammar’s current condition. There is little doubt that their embattled kingdom could stand the military aid of any surface kingdom that would be willing to provide it. The dwarves of Orzammar are not xenophobic, but neither do they believe that there is much of worth to be found beyond their stone halls. They believe dwarves to be the most formidable race of Thedas and condescend to outsiders on the unusual occasions when they interact. To their credit, most dwarves of Orzammar can be readily convinced that some particular human or elf is worthy of respect based on deeds either observed or reported, but at the same time, these dwarves also argue until the end of their breath that these individuals are unusual exceptions to the general rule. Grey Wardens Grey Wardens and the dwarven people have always had a kinship through their shared battle against the darkspawn. Dwarves are consequently viewed as excellent recruits to the Order due to their experience against the darkspawn.To a dwarven Warden recruit in Dragon Age: Origins, Teyrn Loghain Mac Tir will remark that it is wise of the Wardens to recruit amongst the dwarves due to their skill and prowess against the darkspawn. It is also known that dwarven Grey Wardens lifted the hundred day siege of Orzammar.Mentioned by Duncan to the Dwarf Noble during The Nobles' Feast if asked about dwarven Grey Wardens. However, as there are fewer dwarves due to low birth rates, there are also fewer dwarven Wardens.Mentioned by Duncan in the Dwarf Noble Origin. Grey Wardens are also the only surface organization to care about the endless war the dwarves wage against the darkspawn in the Deep Roads.Notable regarding this is the timeline notation at 5:24 Exalted, following the Fourth Blight, in which mentions that no one but the Grey Wardens cared that darkspawn still infested the Deep Roads all the way to Orzammar. The situation for the dwarves has changed but little in the years hence. When the time of a Grey Warden's Calling draws near, a Warden honors a longstanding agreement between the Wardens and the dwarves and serves a year fighting darkspawn in the Deep Roads at the side of the dwarves. When the advance of the taint is unbearable, the Warden is celebrated by the dwarves and then enters the Deep Roads for their Calling. As noted by Alistair, the dwarves respect the Grey Wardens for their sacrifices. Orlais The dwarves of Orzammar maintain a good relationship with the Orlesian Empire with which they share borders in the western side of the Frostback Mountains. They provide the empire with lyrium and minerals, as well as smithing. Lyrium is especially important as it is used by Circle mages as a mana replenishment resource of their more complex spells and consumed by the Chantry's templars. Tevinter Imperium The dwarven empire has been allied with the Tevinter Imperium for more than 2,000 years. Dwarven influence can still be seen in Imperial Proving Grounds and the use of three massive golems called Juggernauts, to defend the capital of Minrathous. The lyrium trade is the primary reason for their close alliance, and the magic-centric Imperium is mainly dependent on Orzammar to meet its immense demand. Except the trade alliance, it is also known that the dwarves helped Tevinter during the Fourth Blight by lifting the siege of Marnas Pell and they received many accolades of the ruling Archon. Many surface dwarves live in the Imperium, not considered citizens but rather foreign dignitaries, even if their houses have existed in the Imperium for ages. The Tevinter Imperium hosts numerous dwarven embassies, since the days of Archon Darinius and his alliance with the founding fathers of the dwarven empire, Orseck Garal and Endrin Stonehammer. There are dwarven embassies in every major city, much like dwarven settlements in other countries in Thedas. However Tevinter dwarves have their own branch of government, unlike dwarves in other countries. This body is called the Ambassadoria, representatives elected by the dwarves to advise the Archon and the Magisterium. The Ambassadoria is more of a lobbying group than a parliament. Dwarven embassies in Minrathous, Neromenian, and Qarinus are entirely underground and are considered by dwarves to reside within the Stone, allowing those in the embassy to retain their caste. Some dwarves serving in Tevinter embassies never leave these underground fastnesses. No dwarves are known to be kept as slaves in the Imperium, presumably due to their fundamental importance to the Imperium in providing lyrium. Despite this close alliance, there are two known cases in which some of the dwarves secretly breached this pact. The first was with providing safe harbor in Cadash Thaig for the ancient elves who were fleeing after the destruction of Arlathan. The dwarves of Kal-Sharok were informed of this so they attacked Cadash thaig and killed everyone in order to hide all the evidence from the Imperium.Codex entry: Letters from the Past The second occasion was when Amaranthine was held by the Avvars. The Imperium at that time were trying to conquer Ferelden and the dwarves secretly traded with the Avvars beneath Amaranthine.Codex entry: The Vigil Languages and phrases The dwarves had several dialects, but they are no longer generally spoken, and only a few phrases remain in common usage. Some of the words have roots which predate the dates that dwarves made contact with elves or humans. Dwarves also invented the "common tongue" in order to trade with humans, when they first arrived in Thedas. In present days, it is exceptionally rare for someone to not be fluent in the common tongue. However the dwarves of Kal-Sharok have a regional dialect which draws more on an older manner of speech because of their significantly less contact and interaction with the surface. Dwarven runes are used on signs by the dwarves as well as by the humans on the surface. In the latter case, they are used instead of the native language, as it is common for peasants to not be able to read.Dragon Age: Asunder, p. 128 * Aedros Atuna: An underground river which never sees the sun. Its clay is used by dwarven artisans for crafting.Mentioned by Varric Tethras in Dragon Age II. * Amgarrak: "Victory"In the opening sequence of The Golems of Amgarrak, narrated by Jerrik Dace. * Amgeforn (ahm-geh-forn): "Sacrifice"Codex entry: Amgeforn the Lonely Vigil * Amgetoll: "Duty" * Atrast nal tunsha (a-TRAST NAWL TON-shah): A formal farewell. Possibly an archaic form of atrast tunsha, since it is only spoken by Caridin. May translate as "may you always find your way in the dark".Caridin's last words at the end of A Paragon of Her Kind if the Warden aids him. * Atrast tunsha (a-TRAST TON-shah): A formal farewell.Codex entry: Third Legionnaire's Journal * Atrast tunsha. Totarnia amgetol tavash aeduc.: Words of a formal dwarven rite for the dead. * Atrast vala (a-TRAST VA-la): A formal greeting. Literally, "speak" or "find your tongue".Notably spoken in the Dwarf Noble Origin, as well as by Boermor. * Blow off the dust to find the vein of silver: Literally, looking for the positive in a negative situation.Spoken by Sigrun. * Cloudgazer: Surface dwarves who have lost their Stone sense. * Deep crawler: "Spider"Dragon Age: Origins: Prima Official Game Guide, p. 152 * Deep lord: A pejorative term for a deshyr.Spoken by Oghren. * Deshyr: Title given to nobles who are members of the Assembly. * Duster: A pejorative term for a casteless dwarf, referencing their home of Dust Town.Used ubiquitously in Orzammar. * Dust to dunkels: A phrase evidencing great certainty.Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne, p. 321 * Dwarva: The word dwarves use to refer to themselves. The human word most likely derives from it. * Full of sod: Being foolish.Spoken by a dwarven spirit in Kal-Hirol. * Gwah: "Salt"Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne, p. 274 * Isana: A term for lyrium. Also called "singing stone". * Kallak: "War"Based on Kallak description. * Kalna (KAL-nah): "House" or "lineage"Codex entry: Surface Dwarves * Mathas gar na fornen pa salroka atrast.: Meaning unknown.Spoken by the Nexus Golem. * Mud Splashers: A nickname for nugs. * On loose sand: Literally, in a dangerous situation.Spoken by Beraht. * Partha: "Peace" * Ren: "Pool" * Rock Licker: A nickname for brontos. * Salroka (sal-ROW-cah): "Friend". Most commonly used by the casteless. Literally means "one at my side". * Stalata Negat: Part of the title of a book of dwarven history, "Stalata Negat: The Stone Unheld: A Commentary on the Roll of Years."Codex entry: Stalata Negat * Sun-touched: A pejorative term for surface dwarves.Codex entry: The Casteless * Tezpadam: "Deepstalker"Codex entry: Deepstalker * Thaig (TAIG): A dwarven colony. Generally founded by, and named after, a particular house. * Time is rusting: Literally, time is wasting.Spoken by Rica Brosca. * Topside: The surface * Valos atredum (VAH-lows a-TRAY-doom): May translate as "the favor of the ancestors", "the voice of the ancestors", or "the ancestors' blessing".Based on Valos Atredum description. * Veata (VEE-et-ah): "Stop" or "halt"Spoken by the dwarven guard outside of the surface entrance of Orzammar. * What's shaping? : A friendly interrogative, akin to "what's going on?"Sigrun will sometimes speak this phrase when clicked on in the party in Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening. * Wim and Wam: "Whine and plead" There are also traces of the dwarven language in some place names. "Gwaren" comes from the combination of two dwarven words, gwah (salt) and ren (pool). Notes * According to dialogue between Oghren and Zevran Arainai, dwarves are 100 times less numerous than humans.During a party banter in Dragon Age: Origins. * All the races in Thedas are said to live approximately the same length of natural life. * Owing to their hardy constitution, sickness is thought to be rare among the dwarven folk. But their proximity to the darkspawn and low fertility rate have caused the population of dwarves to fall steadily (except during the Blights) for nearly a thousand years. * Children between dwarves and humans are extremely rare because of the low fertility rate of dwarves in addition to the small chances of producing offspring with other races. Half-dwarves are shorter than humans but taller than dwarves. Furthermore, it is more often that such mating would happen with surface dwarves as such union would be heavily stigmatized in Orzammar. Children between dwarves and elves are even more rare. Their offspring would be dwarven to all appearances. * The dwarves have developed superior vision in the dark, due to their underground life. This ability is also shared by the elves.Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne pp. 71, 149 * Prostitution exists in Orzammar, with the finest brothels being restricted to the highest caste dwarves, such as warrior caste.Dragon Age (tabletop RPG), Player's Guide, set 2, p. 14 * Dwarves have developed their engineering to a level of technology that surpasses everyone. They have mastered clockwork and limited steam power. Dwarven clockwork, while uncommon, is notable, as time-telling in Thedas is inexact.David Gaider twitter * Except the language, dwarves also introduced currency, trade and entertainment to humanity.Codex entry: Stonehammer's Gift * Some of the old dwarven families' buildings are Dragon's Créche. They are buildings designed to kill the intruders, usually because they store important items. Such constructs take decades to complete.Mentioned by Varric Tethras in the Archive of the Crows in Dragon Age: The Silent Grove, Chapter 1. Trivia * Early in development it was planned that dwarves would speak with a German accent. It was, however, scrapped and the dwarves speak with varying North American accents. * No dwarves have been introduced that can be romanced by the player character. * Female dwarves were notably absent in Dragon Age II. * Dwarven culture takes inspiration from societies such as the Aztecs and Mayans.Dragon Age Origins Dev Diary: Creating a Living World. YouTube. * Qunari may refer to all dwarves, or possibly just bothersome dwarves, as "short mouth".As seen that the Qunari do in their compound to Javaris in Dragon Age II. Gallery Dwarves WoT.jpg|Male dwarves Dwarven Warrior - HoDA.png|A dwarven warrior in Heroes of Dragon Age Dwarf concept inquisition.jpg|Concept art of dwarves in Dragon Age: Inquisition See also * Stone Halls of the Dwarves, a book written by Brother Genitivi about dwarves. References External links * Dwarf on BioWare wiki Category:Dwarves Category:Races